The Loner, the Witch and the Fairytales
by Johnnieboy11
Summary: The Jedi Purge had left the Galaxy a scarred place, with its former protectors now killed to usher in the New World Order. Among the dead Jedi, however, one Padawan was uncounted after the raid on his and his master's Warship. A new Path has now opened on a new world for the young man and his newly-discovered ally, with new lives, comrades and friendships and a familiar threat.
1. Prologue:A Strange New World

A scream...

A scream of pain. It was all that it took to awaken the young man to his full potential... The scream of his Master, dying before him, gunned down by Clone blasters. A young Padawan now stood alone, facing the bright sun of a new world... The boy exhaled, looking about at the forest he found himself in and recalled how he got sent here. The same moment that a Thermal Detonator exploded in his room, he'd used the Force, unleashed a blast into the floor just as it exploded.

Whatever happened next was a blur. He was now sitting idly in a meditative position, in the middle of a forest on an unknown and probably uninhabited planet. He felt much Light in the planet itself... But also an encroaching darkness. One that he felt mostly surrounded him. This forest in itself seemed full of it. Still, meditation allowed him to keep an ease of mind. He checked his belt for his weapons:A Blaster pistol, a Thermal detonator and finally, his own Lightsaber.

As time seemed to pass, he heard rustles in the bushes, the movement of creatures...

And four auras akin to the Force, yet much too different. He stood up on his feet as he heard the growling of creatures moving around him and unclipped the Lightsaber from his belt. It was an intricate design, similar to the long-lost Darksaber. His masters were amazed at his ability to forge such a weapon and the Crystal he took and managed to hold to create it. Igniting the weapon, a curved sword with a flat blade seemed to form, more akin to swords of old. It was tinted silver, unlike the Darksaber which's blade was a black with a white edge.

The creatures that approached the boy seemed intent on killing him. Oh, well... He turned about to face what seemed to be monsters made of shadow and bone, resembling animals from his old home. He watched them circle him, growling. Five of them, including a giant, bear-like creature. Wrapping both his hands around the hilt of the powered weapon, he stared eye-to-eye with the creatures coming from the treeline.

With a swift slice, the boy cut a creature in half as it lunged at him. He watched a second one approach and, utilizing the Force, halted its pounce mid-air, before throwing it hard into the trunk of a tree, sending bark flying and most likely breaking the Shadow Creature's back. He spun the Saber in one hand and watched as the others rushed him. He sliced the third and fourth's heads clean off, before the fifth raised its paws and tried to stab him with the claws.

He rolled to the left, dodging the attack, then sliced across its open belly, before jumping away as it struck the ground to try and kill him. The very stones below his feet shook as the boy jumped backward, landing on his feet. He once more twirled the sword in one hand and taunted the creature. It snarled, then roared and lunged at him with high speed. Drawing his Blaster, the boy quickly shot one of its feet, before leaping over its spiky back, slicing off some of the bone armor and, finally, cutting it in half...

With a swipe behind him, the boy brought up his blade inches away from a young girl's throat. She looked at him, silver eyes wide in terror. The boy paused for a moment, taking in the beauty standing before him. A girl with dark-red, choppy hair that gradually turned brighter as it reached the tips. She had a scarlet cloak fastened onto her black clothing with a pair of cross pins and she wore an even stranger set of clothing underneath it. A black and red skirt, a black corset with red lacing and finally, dark-red thigh-highs and black-red boots. A one-color-scheme set of clothing.

He deactivated the lightsaber and locked it back to his hip, doing the same with the pistol afterward. He watched as from behind the scared girl, three more unveiled. A white-haired one with snow-white clothing and azure eyes, a black-haired, amber-eyed girl with a bow and black clothing and a golden-hair bombshell with lilac eyes and revealing clothing. They all seemed awed at the boy... He placed his palms together in the Jedi greeting and bowed toward them, unsure if he should speak or not.

"Damn, dude..." The blonde said, a grin on her face. In Galactic Basic. Good. "That's a neat sword."

He simply nodded... He wanted to speak, but felt like something held him back... Then the moments of his master's death flashed before his eyes. He shook his head, then simply nodded in thanks, narrowing his lips. He closed his eyes and turned about, feeling a chill run through his entire body. One of them wanted to speak, but he raised his hand, showing her to wait...

In the darkness of the treeline, he saw a figure clad in red and black robes. Its eyes shined a sickly green... Before a bolt of a strange dark-side power surged toward him. He sent it off-course using the Force, sending it landing in the dirt. He brandished his sword again, following up with drawing his pistol and aiming it. Two scarlet shots left the barrel and both were intercepted by a blade of that same emerald smog.

He gasped as he sheared two solid arrows in half with nary enough time. He saw the figure emerge from the treeline while he was distracted, brandishing a vibro-spear, a type of weapon made specifically to battle Jedi, as the materials and techniques used to build vibro-weapons provide them almost equal-footing to the plasma blades used by the Jedi.

... The boy now got a good look at her. She was, going by the pale skin, grey hair, emerald eyes and tattoos, a Nightsister. But her clothing, sleeveless and showing the tattoos on her arms, with wrapped black silk around her forearms and fingerless gloves with Nightsister symbols and many other small and intricate details such as some bone shards on her belt, gave her a more... Tribal... Feeling... Her mouth was covered by a cloth mask bearing half a skull embroidered

The boy started to panic, forced on the back foot as he worked to deflect her spear strikes... The four girls behind him were unable to help, caught up with her Magick, which seemed to hold all 4 of them down... The blonde one struggled and swore, before yelling "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, ATTACKING LIKE THAT?!" at the assailing Nightsister.

More of the Magick wrapped around her mouth, shutting her up... A surprisingly good control of her powers for someone the boy had to assume was a mercenary. But thankfully, the blonde's distraction was enough for him to shove the girl, use force push and regain at least some semblance of control of the fight. They locked blade and spear into a duel of strength and the two eyes staring over her mask seemed to glare daggers at him...

She gasped as he broke contact, moved back and aimed his pistol swiftly... Ducking, the girl was sure he'd aim for her, but the moment the weapon whirred and screamed, letting loose its hatred-filled bolts of energy, she found herself not to be the target. Instead, a monster's roar came from behind her as it collapsed. She turned to see the creature of shadows begin to dissipate... She turned toward him and received a nod and a cocky smile...

The boy froze again, however, as he saw her draw the bow from her back and fire one arrow. Another thunk and he looked back to see a monster collapsing just behind a scared blonde. He hummed, then nodded to her in thanks. The black haired one shuffled toward them, then said "Sorry to break the moment, but... Could you please let us go?" her eyes wide as she looked at the Nightsister "I don't think I've ever seen a semblance like yours, but we weren't gonna harm you or anything, just... Stop you from harming this guy."

"... I see... Sorry." The Nightsister hummed, her accent unfamiliar to the boy.

Her eyes turned a shade of scarlet red as the magical mist vanished from its captives, releasing the four trapped girls... The blonde immediately jumped to her feet and dusted herself off, before saying "Not cool..." to the Nightsister, with a glare. The Nightsister shrugged, having already apologized beforehand. The boy stretched after stowing his Lightsaber again, before turning to the Nightsister...

"So..." The blonde started "What's the deal between you and sparkly sword boy here?"

"He's a Jedi..." She spoke, turning to face him, spear still tightly gripped in her right hand.

"A... Uh... A what?" The red-haired one started, as confused as the other three.

"A Jedi. Do you not know?" She inquired... Then sighed to herself and shook her head. She was asking post-Purge human folk. She wasn't surprised they didn't know. The Jedi were either mythical to some, or completely forgotten by others. "Nevermind." She uttered, before stowing her spear onto her back and turning to him. "Forgive me assailing you, Jedi, but I lack the trust for your kind."

The boy shrugged. It was only natural... Nightsisters and Jedi never did get along...

She looked curiously to him, before looking around and addressing the girls "My name is Seilann. I'm of the Nightsisters. Forgive me for the inconvenience caused."

"Well... Ya dropped your aggressive stance pretty fas-Oof." Yang felt Ruby elbow her in the gut. She glared to her sis for a second, before humming and turning to Seilann with an awkward smile "A pleasure to meet'cha, Seilann!"

"Yup!" Ruby smiled to her too, genuinely and clearly happy to meet her as she continued "Let us introduce ourselves. We're team RWBY! Beacon's finest, most awesome young team of Huntresses ever! I'm Ruby Rose. Awesome team-leader, weapon-meister and slayer of monsters!" And she struck a pose, a proud grin on her face... The Nightsister raised a brow.

The white-haired one rolled her eyes, then spoke "Forgive my partner, she tends to get to excited. I am Weiss Schnee. A pleasure to meet you, miss Seilann... And must I say, quite the exotic name."

Following her, the black-haired one wearing a bow nodded "I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna. Nice to meet you."

And, finally, the blonde cracked her knuckles and said "Yo! Name's Yang Xiao-Long! I'm Blakey's partner and the team's close quarters specialist. Gotta say, Seil, you sure as heck can fight. Not to say your pal over here's any less cool! I mean, didja see his laser sword?" with a grin on her face. Seilann nodded respectfully to them, then all looked to the boy...

He rubbed the back of his neck, then checked his pockets, to find his dog tags... Clones were kind enough to make a personal tag for him, surprisingly enough... Before all of it went to hell. He handed them to Seilann, who read his name aloud "Jakar Telak..." With a raised brow. She looked to him, then said "Can you not speak, Telak?" to which he shook his head... She hummed "Why?" and he shrugged...

... The girl had felt his sorrow long before they even met. It was how she was able to track him. He must've either been still suffering from the Purge, or something else. She handed back his Dog Tags, before noting "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I trust our meeting is in good omen of what is to come." and looking around. "Shall we leave? I can sense the darkness in this place... It is familiar..."

The boy nodded, then looked to the girls.

"Alright! Follow us, if you don't mind!" Ruby noted, turning toward the east. The four girls took to leading the way... And Jakar looked to Seilann, brow raised. She nodded to him, then stepped in front, removing her hood to reveal the length of her hair. Whilst normally, you'd see a Dathomirian's hair cut short or downright shaved clean, she'd chosen quite the opposite approach, leaving it longer, only to tie it together in a bob, with two small bangs... Jakar had to admit, she was quite endearing to look at without the hood. Nodding to her, he took off his own hood, revealing silver hair, result of a childhood exposure to an odd set of chemicals, and a pair of amber eyes... She seemed to pause for a moment, to take in his looks, before humming and walking away.

He scratched the side of his head, before moving to follow. He didn't wanna be left behind in this place any more than anyone else. He had a nagging feeling that the path he now walked on would lead him to what the Jedi order initially intended to teach him. And he was happy for that at least... He would make his master proud in this world, if not in his own...

He needed to understand what had brought Seilann here, however... And he would ask about it as soon he could...


	2. The Beacon

The Jedi shifted in the seat of the drop-ship, looking to his left to the Nightsister. She was arranging her weapons in their holsters. The Vibro-spear was one of the more terrifying weapons in her arsenal, but the boy was able to appreciate more than that, including her tribal tattoos and intricate detailing of her clothes, much better now. Every touch and sew was clearly hand-crafted by her, or modified to fit necessitated form and design. Wherein the woman lacked armor, her mobility was probably unrivaled. And her weapons granted her both reach and speed...

She was also certainly easy on the eyes... Not like the other four aboard weren't beautiful either. He paused as he saw the Nightsister's head quirk up. She grabbed her bow from her back, before drawing back on the modified energy projector, forming a somewhat larger arrow just as the other four stood to their feet. She aimed her bow toward a giant, black bird with an armor-plated head, before she let loose the plasma 'arrow'...

The round punched through the side of its head, making it stumble mid-flight and partly melting its right eye as it let loose a painful scream. The Nightsister then pulled out her Spear and jumped out, despite the boy moving to stop her, right onto the back of the closing bird. Two quills flew by her head, as large as this ones... She cocked her head back, to see the bird had come with an ally, before she drew her bow again, aimed and let the arrow off. The bird under her bucked, nearly throwing her off its back, but she was quick to react, thrusting the tip of her spear into its back... It screeched and bucked again, more violently, but the Nightsister was quick to finish it off by severing its head and rushing to jump on to the other...

It aimed its talons at her, but doubled over, losing altitude under assail of a wave of invisible energy that gave the girl enough space to land onto it. She rammed the tip of her spear through the top of the creature's head, before she saw Jak's white lightsaber slice through part of the creature's right wing, making it veer to the right, toward the dropship. He jumped to join the girl on top of the bird, drawing his Blaster and firing off two shots into its left wing, evening out its flight. He caught his Saber mid-flight, before giving the girl a smirk.

She hummed, then spun and sliced the creature's head off... And the two then jumped back aboard the Transport ship, both landing on their feet, much to the awe of all four girls aboard. Noticing them staring with wide jaws, Seilann slung her spear on her back, giving them no more than a suspicious glance and stepping back to her seat. The Jedi Padawan hummed, then shrugged, smiling awkwardly as he went to sit himself down too.

"... I... Uh..." Blake started, staring at the duet of weirdos...

"Got nothing...?" Weiss mused, rubbing her chin. Blake, Ruby and Yang all nodded in muted agreement. "I feel the same. Those two most certainly aren't any run-of-the-mill Huntsmen... They don't even seem human" And she gave both of them a once-over with her icy blue eyes. Jakar, as he was called, wielded an energy weapon set, which was endearing and strange in and of itself... She turned to Ruby, to see her drooling... The Schnee Heiress rolled her eyes.

"I'd have thought Ann's skin would've told ya as much..." Yang mused, rubbing her chin.

"Yang..." Blake elbowed her friend.

"Ow. No, but seriously... That kind of ashen skin you don't get anywhere on Remnant." Yang returned, looking to Blake.

"Yang, c'mon. They can't be that bad." Ruby hummed, smiling. "They basically just saved our collective bacon." And she turned to her friends. The trio exchanged glances as they thought over Ruby's proposal. It was hard to deny the young Huntress the fact she was right, but this moreover about the moves between the two of their newcomers. Seilann seemed strong and... Jakar, that's what Seilann said his name was, seemed a tough one too... But that didn't erase any sort of worry from the three...

Yang, however, was first to relent... They'd at least need to give the newcomers some sorta chance. She nodded to Ruby and said "Guess yer right, sis. Plus, they don't look that bad..."

"Never judge a book by its cover, as the saying goes..." Blake shrugged. She hummed, turning to the Nightsister. The woman wasn't a half-bad-looking one. She was cute, even. In her own uh... Tribal way. As the flight neared its end, the girls had found themselves preparing to disembark the Bullhead, weapons in hand and eyes on their guests. Jakar and Seilann both seemed surprised upon seeing their destination...

Beacon Academy was, as always, an amazing sight to behold. Even to the two strangers and the girls who had lived there for the better part of this academic year. The Tower of Beacon rose high above the dozens of buildings on campus, even taller than most of Beacon's Dormitory buildings. The gothic-style Architecture felt reminiscent of those tales of old about grand castles guarded by Dragons. And it was lively today.

"Heh. Seems people are prepping for class." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck.

Weiss hummed "We should probably go change and get to class too... I would hate to be late."

... And Yang frowned, groaning out "Oh, come on Weiss... 'Hate to be late' to Port's lectures?"

"Hey... At least we don't have to focus as much." Ruby shrugged. "It's not Prof Oobleck after all."

Yang chuckled, nodding to her sis, before turning to Jakar and Seilann and speaking "Well, Jack, Ann... Welcome to Beacon. The best Huntsman Academy on this continent and possibly the ones beyond it."

"Jack? 'Ann'?" Seilann voiced the boy's question, seemingly as curious...

"Yeah, well, 'Jakar's' a bit too long for me. Imma be callin'im Jack." The Blonde grinned. The rest of the girls nodded and Seilann turned to Jack. He shrugged, giving the girl a half-smile... The Nightsister rubbed her eyes, then said "It's Seilann for me..." before stepping off just as the aircraft touched down on the landing pad. Jack hummed, following her, with Ruby descending last.

The team lead looked to her girls and said "How about you go on a head, gals? I'll take them up to the Headmaster."

"I mean, sure." Yang shrugged. "Do watch your back, sis."

"I will, I will. See ya." She waved, watching her friends and older sister depart, before walking up beside Jack and Seilann, a smile on her face as she hummed a tune. She eyed Jack's lightsaber, before asking "Hey, uh... Jack?" and watching as his gaze now focused on her. He raised a brow and Ruby awkwardly asked "Y... Ya mind showing me your weapon?"

He hummed, looking at his Lightsaber and narrowing his lips. His brow quirked up again as if he asked 'why'. She rubbed the back of her neck, blushing slightly, before speaking "Well, I kinda saw it powered and I thought I must've miss-interpreted what it was... Like, I see no blade coming out of it, so I thought maybe it extends like our weapons and..."

She fond it handed to her,the cute little stuttering Reaper, before she looked over it. She didn't wanna look onto that empty hole at the top of the weapon... And she mistakenly pressed a button, igniting it with a hiss. She squeaked at the bright blade of energy that shined in full view now, before starting to drool a bit... "Wow... It's soooo _COOL! _How'd you make this!? This is a self-contained plasma blade and it looks a lot like it's heated to the point I'd think it can cut through just about anything! And its containment field gives this sharper, old sword look to it! _Sooo Cool!_"

"It's Jedi's standard weapon." Explained Seilann in a deadpan as they continued to walk. "His Order's members each had their own variation of the Lightsaber. No two were ever the same." And she gazed upon this one "Though I must admit... This one is odd in design." scratching her chin. She'd heard of the Death Watch wielding what was called the Darksaber, not too far in design from his, so what would this one be?

And upon seeing Ruby's eyes shine like stars, the woman rolled her own. Ruby looked on at the blade for a bit, before handing it back to Jack, who shut it off and locked it back to his belt. The giddy Huntress seemed even more excited than before as she hummed happily that same song from before with more jauntiness to her act. Jack seemed, to Seilann, slightly distracted...

"I feel it too." She hummed, making Jack turn toward her. "This entire planet is like my home."

Jack raised a brow... Dathomir, right... That place was a Dark Side haven... He nodded, then raised one finger... There was also some light abound. More specifically, within this place, this 'Beacon', he felt a great presence of the Light Side. And staring up, he saw the faint emerald light of the tower shining exactly as its namesake. Seilann nodded slowly as they approached the base of the tower, which also seemed to serve as a clock.

And the closer they got, indeed, the closer Jack felt the powers of the Light Side contained within this place's walls. Upon entering the tower, the duet of Jedi and Nightsister were led by the young Huntress onto an elevator and the doors slid shut as it powered up to the top of the tower. Ruby looked back to both of them, then said "I hope you two're getting along now... Honestly, you kinda scared us when you attacked Jack, Seilann."

"I mistook him for a quarry I had..." She said, eyeing the Padawan, who gave her a smirk.

"Oh... Wait, 'quarry'?" She looked to the Dathomirian with a curious stare.

"I'm a paid mercenary, Ruby Rose." She said. "As wished by the leader of my own Order."

"Cool... And a bit scary." Ruby noted, smiling. Seilann had to give credit where it was due. The little Huntress had an air of innocence about her that defied logic. She felt like the type that would be hopeful even when faced with certain doom and the Nightsister wished she could think like her... Turning to Jack, the boy simply shrugged as the Elevator slowed and stopped.

And as the doors split and opened, to let the faint emerald light bask the Jedi and Nightsister, they walked out, to the sight of an office of glass, steel and working cogs. The window behind the main desk was indeed the face of a clock, staring out over Beacon itself. The man seated in the chair was a silver-haired, amber-eyed man wearing green and black. Hands steepled together, his gaze met theirs as he turned away from a holographic projection of a computer. He seemed happy to see them, but his face almost imperceptibly changed upon seeing Seilann...

"Hey, Headmaster!" Ruby smiled. "You wouldn't believe how awesome these two fight."

The man snorted, then said "I would bet I don't, miss Rose. Thank you for bringing them back to Beacon in one piece."

"My pleasure, Headmaster!" She smiled. "I think I should go. Girls are waiting to go to class."

"Of course. Attendance is important, after all." Nodded the Headmaster "Be my guest, miss Rose."

Ruby turned to Jack and Seilann, then spoke "It was nice meeting you two! Hope we see each-other around again." with a smile, before vanishing into a wave of petals. The man in the chair, the Headmaster of this academy, chuckled at Ruby's shenanigans, before standing up and walking in front of the desk. Seilann and Jack turned to face him after watching the trail of roses vanish into the now-descending elevator...

"Greetings. Hope your flight here was pleasant." He spoke. "I'm Headmaster Ozpin, the man in charge of Beacon. We have very much to talk about, you and I... If I'm not wrong about who you are."

"Who do you think we are?" Seilann piped up, her hand wrapped around the hilt of her Spear.

"... Well, for starters... Clearly not of Remnant's people or our kingdoms." He smiled "And next? Well, I'll ask that you explain that to me." and arranged his strange, small sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.


	3. The First Steps

The young Jedi looked over Ozpin with muted surprise. It was quite easy to take in what he had meant regarding this. That there were no others like them on this planet... And perhaps that this planet had even been separated from the rest of the Galaxy, which added onto its mysteries further. Both light and dark seemed to... 'Coexist' here, for lack of a better term... Alas, the boy felt the air grow heavy as he saw Seilann reach for her weapon.

He showed her to calm down with a raised hand, then turned to an at-ease Headmaster. He simply smiled back and spoke "Thank you, young man." before arranging his jacket. "I'm not here to cause you trouble. Quite the opposite, children." He then stepped up to them. "What I meant by my words was that, and you'll have to forgive my bluntness, there are none like you two on Remnant... A young, ash-skinned woman and just as young a man with silver hair and amber eyes. While Remnant is home to many different types of people, I'd be remiss to say you two belong."

He eyed Jack... More-so the Lightsaber on his hip... Then said "You carry with you a weapon made of technology we're yet to have here on Remnant outside the metallurgical field. By that, I mean plasma. And the type that is contained and shaped. Your sword, young man, is by far the strangest weapon here... Your friend's plasma bow notwithstanding." with a smile. Seeing Jack tense, Ozpin continued "So, by my own deductions, you two cannot possibly be from Remnant... Remnant has no people with that kind of pale skin, nor that kind of weaponry."

Jack raised a brow... The headmaster seemed to be slightly hesitant, but that was to be expected. The Force only knew what this looked like to him... He watched Seilann eye the man cautiously, through narrowed lids. The Headmaster audibly sighed, then said "I know you do not trust me right now, not knowing me very well, young ones, but I do have your best interests at heart."

"I don't know if I should believe it."

Ozpin hummed at Seilann's almost deadpan words, then nodded "Very well... I understand your distrust of someone whom you have just met, but I do wish to earn that trust. For the time being, however, I will be rather busy with the school semester that we are currently in. I will ask my assistant and fellow teacher here, Ms. Goodwitch, to prepare a short history of our world for the both of you."

"For what reason?" The distrustful Nightsister once again voiced her questions, staring at Ozpin. "Do you assume we will be staying here?"

"I was going to offer that to you, yes..." Ozpin's brow quirked up. "Along with those answers I promised."

"Hmm..." She rubbed her chin, maintaining eye contact with the man. "And if we refuse?"

"I've got no reason to keep you here aside for your own safety. Those creatures which you've fought against, the Grimm, aren't the only ones of that type." Ozpin said, going back to his chair and sitting down. "They are innumerable and have kept Humanity confined to our city walls ever since Humanity first appeared on Remnant, hounding and killing us... The Grimm are creatures of darkness that are as relentless as they are vile."

After a moment in which Seilann sat to think, the boy finally heard her sigh in defeat. Turning to Ozpin, she quipped "I hope the rooms are nice..." with the most deadpan look ever on her face. Jack and Ozpin both grinned at the joke and the man pulled out a pair of strange devices, extending them to the girl and boy. At the press of a golden button, the devices extended into holographic displays that scanned their faces, forming portraits for both. Data streamed down the screen as diagnostics ran... And a prompt asked them to type in their names.

The two exchanged glances. Jack didn't know the girl very well and she didn't know him either, but both could take social cues to a degree. Jack shrugged, smiling at her in a way of saying 'I think it'll be fine'. She hummed, looking at the device, before sighing in defeat once more. She tapped in her name and clicked 'OK', before watching the device switch to a normal screen. Ozpin smiled, then nodded.

"It was a pleasure to meet both of you, miss Seilann and mister Jack. Please, enjoy your stay at Beacon." He offered. "And if you wish to enter our institution to study alongside our students, I'd be more than glad to allow you an entry."

The Jedi and Nightsister once again turned to each-other, then shrugged. They had nothing to lose... At least Jack didn't. Not anymore.

Walking into the elevator and noticing Ozpin grinning, the Witch had turned to press the button. The doors shut behind them as the descent started. She looked to herself, then leaned against the door. She watched Jack as he fiddled with his Blaster Pistol, then observed "For a Jedi, you are awfully quiet." watching him turn to her. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

She gave him a once-over. The scruffy, silver-haired boy had a worn-out Jedi's robe with battle-scarred armor pieces. Even a minor, barely-patched wound on his shoulder with a bloody bandage on it. The Jedi Order symbol on the shoulder was scarred by a singular heavy Blaster shot. He must've been a survivor from the Purge... Similar experiences, different peoples. She shook her head, then said "My condolences." as the Elevator ground to a halt at the bottom floor. As the door opened, a middle-aged beauty of a blonde woman with almost rimless glasses. She wore a strange outfit made up of a white frilled shirt, a black cape with purple on the inside, a black skirt, leggings and heels. She had a riding crop...

If this wasn't someone's telltale fantasy woman, Seilann had no idea what to think... The woman arranged her glasses on the bridge of her nose, then spoke "Greetings, children. You must be Seilann and Jack. I'm professor Goodwitch, Combat teacher in Beacon and assistant to the headmaster. If you'd follow me to the accommodations I've prepared for you."

As the two walked, both noticed they caught stares from local students. Some girls were whispering to Jack's left about him. On their right were some guys, also talking about her, grins on their faces. The woman glared daggers at them and they stopped, while Jack opted to let the girls continue their juvenile chatter. Upon entering a tall habitation block, the girl, boy and escorting teacher were greeted by more students walking across its velvet-lined walls. The decorations were beautiful, from hand-crafted rugs to walls lined by redwood, velvet and golden patterns, really giving the entire place a homely feeling. This school must've been where the elite went... And trained to fight those 'Grimm'.

The students passing by them greeted miss Goodwitch warmly, with waves and smiles. Some also waved at Jack and Seilann, while others simply tended to go back to their own conversations. And the Jedi Padawan noticed Seilann shying away, moving in-line with Ms. Goodwitch. Must not have been a people person then. And that made sense. Nightsisters were very secretive...

He didn't know this girl well enough. And for all he knew, he could've been her quarry. Hell, for all he knew, he was her quarry, going by how she attacked him. The world still lacked a lot of context. A lot of answers to what happened on board his and his master's warship and the events following that... He needed to get every bit of data possible regarding what was going on in the rest of the Galaxy...

He sighed, then placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, a raised brow, before he nodded reassuringly to her. She hummed, narrowing her lips, before both slammed into Goodwitch's back. The teacher looked back to them, then said "Please, be more careful." and pushed the door to the incredibly spacious room open. "This will be your room. Number 117. You can utilize your scrolls, those devices handed to you by the Headmaster, to lock and unlock it for when you wish to leave. The Mess Hall will be open at 8 tomorrow. If you need anything, please, let me know."

"Thank you..." The Nightsister said, a half-smile on her face as she saw the room. Goodwitch nodded, before stepping away and letting the door close. The room was a large, well-furnished living space with all the accommodations, including a bathroom and a small kitchen with all amenities. There were four beds, probably standard team size here. He picked his own bed, next to the window, while Seilann took one in the corner. He then sat himself down and leaned forward, breathing out a sigh of relief. Today had been a long, nasty trip through hell and back...

He unclipped his weaponry from his belt, Thermal Det included, before setting them down on the bed. He started removing his scarred armor plating, tossing it onto the bed and rubbing his arms as the burned cloth underneath seemed to rip off of them. He was lucky the armor did take the brunt of the damage, though some minor burns could still be seen on his arms. He tossed the last bit of the plating onto the bed, before leaning his face into his hands and breathing out...

The boy felt a weight lift off his shoulders-literal one from the armor notwithstanding-upon managing to breathe calmly for once today. He heard weapons unclipped, then looked up from his hands to see the Nightsister setting her own gear aside and looking at him... She hummed, then spoke "Tired?" and received a nod. "Yes, today was... _Eventful..."_

He tilted his head forward. Eventful didn't begin to cover it...

She sat herself down too, then spoke "You'll have to forgive me for attacking like that. As I said, I mistook you for a quarry given to me by the Empire."

At this, he looked surprised, brow raised.

"What?" She paused. "Yes, the Empire gives contracts to those who can to hunt Jedi... You do know what the Empire is, do you not?"

... Jack was gonna ask why a Nightsister would hunt Jedi, but then again... 'Empire'? He shook his head and the girl went wide-eyed. "That's impossible... It arose immediately after the Purge. When the Jedi that survived went into hiding, they needed people to track them outside their own inquisitors. The Empire is the reformed Galactic Republic. It has been ruling the Galaxy for almost 4 years now..."

Seeing the Jedi pause as shock forced his face through a multitude of expressions, she realized... The blaster scoring and carbon damage to his arms was fresh... She paused as realization struck, before she mouthed in whisper "By the Mother's Embrace... You're from _immediately_ after the Purge." and stood up, walking toward him. She swallowed empty, facing the young man as he stood there, holding his head and processing the information he'd just been given by the girl before him. So they'd arrived from different points in time... And at the same time on this planet, 'Remnant'.

... He was fresh with the feeling of losing everyone he knew. Seilann knew firsthand how that felt upon hearing of what had occurred on Dathomir during the Clone Wars. She sighed deeply, then approached the boy and quipped again, in a deadpan "What surprises me is, hearing what I just said, that you didn't pull your pistol on me... Frankly, I'd have expected a Jedi to, but..."

She sighed "You must know what happened to my people, yes?"

He nodded, looking at her.

"Guess we are both without kin now." She mused, looking him in the eye . He nodded sympathetic to the girl. She continued "Well, alas... We are both alive. And, for your information, I... Never hunted your people with pleasure in my heart, knowing I was dooming an Order of people similar to my own to extinction. I know what occurred on Dathomir was because of the Confederacy and the Purge was because of your Senate's treachery. We both were betrayed by people our leaders thought they could trust. And now? Now, we've got nobody but ourselves..."

The boy hummed, looking at her. She extended her hand toward him, speaking "I want to cooperate with you. As the Headmaster said, trust needs to be built... And considering all the similar events between us, I want to help build it. That is, if you're willing to try and trust a Dark Side user..." with her usual deadpan expression. Jack looked to her hand for a moment, contemplating... Before he gripped and shook... With a bow of her head, the girl said "Good... Good... Thank you."

He responded in kind, with a non-verbal 'thank you', before looking at himself and pointing to the bathroom. She let the boy go, then walked to her bed. A few minutes of hearing the running water later, she heard the door open, before asking "Are you done there? I may need to go too." She spoke calmly, arranging her gear onto her bed. She turned around, to see him without his shirt on... And she paused, narrowing her lips... The boy had a well-built, toned frame that, of course, impressed the huntress. And that explained his nimbleness with a Lightsaber do a degree. She assumed you didn't need to be quite like _that _to wield a Lightsaber, but she didn't complain...

Suppressing a blush, she stepped out toward the Bathroom and shutting the door behind her without another word. He watched her go with an unusual speed, before shrugging to himself and sitting himself down. He looked at the desk and wardrobe and wondered if any clothes had been provided for them. He'd probably have to check, but for-...

_Knock knock_

Huh. Funny. They weren't expecting guests. He stood up, then walked toward the door, opening it, only to see two sets of clothes, one labeled M and the other F... He picked them up, looking around the busy corridor(to the whistles of some of the local girls, nonetheless) and closing the door. Huh. Someone either read minds or realized they needed clothing... There was a note taped to them too... He'd hand it to Seilann to read aloud after she got out of the bathroom. So, he sat himself down, looking at the strange holo-television on the desk and turning it on...

A news report played in the background, voiced by a silver-haired woman, as he went to the window, to look at the beauty of the world outside...

_"... In news on foreign soil, Atlas' Rearmament plans drafted by General Ironwood are underway. With the elections for Atlas council only a year away, many think that these promised 'security enhancements', as called by the General, are a political move to ensure his election into office. Among these new plans, General Ironwood has confirmed the creation of a new type of Military Airship to bolster Atlas's Air Defenses. More heavily armed and armored than the Mantle-Class Carriers currently employed, the as-of-yet unnamed Air Dreadnought will dwarf all other vessels in the Atlas's already indomitable Air Fleet..."_


	4. Son, Brother, Warrior

The dawn of the Jedi and Nightsister's second day in Beacon was punctuated by the Holovision that had remained on throughout the night. Jack had fallen asleep watching a series of news broadcasts and documentaries to learn about what was going on around the kingdom they were in-Kingdom being what they called the states here on Remnant. Vale was a Kingdom in the middle of the central continent of Sanus... All-in-all, Remnant felt like no other planet that the Jedi had heard of, nor like any he'd studied. Where he knew that some forms of life on planets were hostile, the Grimm just... Living to consume fear? That was an oddity.

Jack arranged the last piece of his clothing on him, picking up the communication device-The Scroll-and sliding it into the pocket of the brown jacket that he now wore. Clipped to his belt, his Lightsaber remained at his side, undisturbed. The uniform he wore was that of the school's, since his old clothes looked like they'd just come out of a really protracted firefight. And that wouldn't be a lie either...

The uniform was made up of standard clothing he'd expect to see in a school uniform. A brown jacket with the emblem of the Kingdom of Vale that he'd buttoned up to about three fourths, a white undershirt, a red tie and dark-brown pants, as well as leather shoes. He pulled on the cuffs of the jacket to straighten them out. He'd suppose he should make it clear to the Professor that he was not gonna go to their school, but at most, he'd use the 'student' clothing and ID as a way to keep himself hidden. If what Seilann had told him was true, then this new Empire would be coming for him.

He watched Seilann as she looked over the clothing, keeping her own tribal uniform on for now. He looked at her with a raised brow and she hummed. "What?"

He tilted his head to the clothes. She shook her head, speaking "I do believe I'll keep my own for now." and setting them aside, on her bed. He shrugged, then walked toward the door, propping it open and exiting into the hall. The students of Beacon milled about, minding their own business. He continued his walk, with Seilann not too far behind him. Walking out of the dorms, the two aimed to go to the mess hall and eat, but alas... They didn't know where it was.

He scratched his chin, then felt a hand slam into his back, nearly tripping him over. A hearty laugh followed.

"Yo, Jack! Ann!" The blonde girl they'd met upon their arrival here spoke. Seilann turned to greet her and her friends, only to see all four of them clad in the girls' school uniforms. Yang chuckled, then said "Lookin' dashing there. Didn't know the Headmaster would've asked you to join our school." and she got a shrug from Jack as an answer. He had yet to figure out what they did at schools, so he figured it'd be... Fun?

"Seilann isn't wearing her own uniform, though." Blake noted.

"And I probably will not be wearing it." The bow-wielding woman answered calmly.

"Heh." Yang smirked. "Well, you're gonna get talked down to by teachers and such, but I like your spirit, Ann."

"Seilann." The Nightsister answered in her usual deadpan voice, with Yang rolling her eyes, but maintaining her grin. She hummed as the group walked to the mess hall, looking around at the decor of Beacon. The old architecture was very interesting. It was beautiful, with all the arches and detailing on the buildings. Certainly beat Dathomir as far as warmth of design went.

And as they made it to the Mess Hall, she saw it was like a goddamn cathedral. She had to admit, to date, Beacon has had the most interesting architecture to date. Walking on inside, she sat herself down next to team RWBY, at the behest of Ruby herself. That team name and the leader's name certainly would not get confusing, but alas... She eyed Jack going with Yang toward the buffet that served their food.

Sighing, the woman continued looking around. All students were unique from one-another. Each with their own hairstyle, colors, clothes and whatnot. Though the latter couldn't be seen much due to the uniforms. They were engaged in chatter as one would expect out of teenagers, exchanging flirts, gossip and whatever else was on their young minds. She, as a Nightsister, hadn't had much to talk about, or anyone to talk to, since losing contact with her home. What had the Headmaster done exactly, to warrant these children's trust?

"Hey, Seilann?" She heard a young voice, Ruby, call out to her. She turned to the young Huntress, snapping out of her moment.

"Yes, Ruby?" She inquired, before leaning forward "How may I help you?"

"I... Kinda wanted to ask a question." Ruby offered as her teammates and a new team that joined them were chatting away.

"Go ahead." The Witch nodded.

"If... It isn't too personal. Why is your skin that color?" Ruby asked, rubbing the back of her neck. She started bumbling as her face flushed "Don't get me wrong, it's a nice color and the tattoos are awesome too, it's just that you don't see many people with grey skin around the place and-" she stopped at Seilann's signal. She didn't trust the Headmaster fully, but she could show kindness to the students.

She hummed, then said "How shall I put this... I and Jakar are not exactly of your uh... _World._"

Ruby's eyes went wide, but before she could explode into cheer, Seilann showed her to be quiet and spoke calmly "But please, do keep the secret... If you feel like telling friends of yours, be my guest, but it stays in your circle and that's it. I trust you, even though I don't know you fully, Ruby Rose, so do not betray that." And, upon the last words being more of a pressed warning, she watched Ruby's face drain part of its color... She nodded, to which Seilann hummed, then finished "Thank you."

"So..." Yang leaned toward Seilann "Why'd you two try to kill each-other back there, Ann?"

"... Seilann..." The Nightsister rolled her eyes, then said "I mistook him for my quarry."

"..." Blake gave the woman a dirty look, then said "'Quarry' like... An assassin's quarry?"

"More of an enforcer, but yes." She nodded. "A fellow Jedi of his had been an issue to locals prior to my assignment. To put it bluntly, I had the job of apprehending or killing the Jedi and he's been far more illusive than he has any right to be. I mistook Jakar for him because of similarities in hair and skin color, but his blade and face made me reconsider my position... And probably start looking for alternate work places."

"Jeez..." Yang looked to Jack, then said "Didn't know your people are that much of a pain, Jack."

Jack shrugged, then looked to Seilann.

"They weren't before the Empire took charge." Seilann noted. "Eitherway, I'd rather we cut the talk here." She looked to Jack. To show kindness to the boy would have probably been seen as weakness by most of her sisters and those who hired her, but alas, she was not picky with her allies today, much less with someone she was currently forced to stay with. Kindness would go a long way to allow trust to form, so, she went on and spoke "I know this may sound strange, but is there anything you miss? About your life in the Republic?"

The boy frowned, then sighed and took a photo out of his pocket, sliding it over to the girl. She took it in her hand and looked over it. The photo depicted the boy, probably younger of age, smiling and giving a thumbs up with four soldiers clad in white armor behind him. Said soldiers also had scarlet stripes on their arms and differing patterns of drawings on the helmets and even the breastplates, with one showing his kills proudly on the left of his chest in the form of BD-1 Battle Droid head drawings.

She hummed, narrowed her lips, then said "Comrades from before the Order."

He nodded.

"I'm sorry..."

He shrugged, sliding the the photo back into his pocket. Seilann sighed, then leaned onto her hand. Yang saw the discussion going nowhere, so she decided to break the ice "So, folks! You two should probably go grab your food and we can talk some more after! There's a lot you two may wanna visit in Vale, so..."

And despite her best efforts, Yang, her team and JNPR had been the only ones really chatting. Instead, now, they found themselves walking with the duo of aliens toward classes. As they walked, the girls saw Jack slow down for a few minutes, stopping completely by the statue in the center of the courtyard. Seilann stopped too, farther ahead, only turning to look. The boy blinked, turning his head to the right as if he listened for movement.

Confused, Seilann wanted to ask him what had happened, but the hiss of a lightsaber igniting and the first burst of energy weapon fire deflected skyward by the boy answered her. Yellow bolts flew sky high, before dissipating in flight. The roar of a jetpack echoed above and the Beacon Students and Nightsister's eyes shot up, following the noise to the sight of an armored humanoid.

Clad in a reflective plate of _Beskar _the color of a grey ash bearing scarlet stripes, with a helmet bearing a T-shaped visor that was almost universally recognized, but looked more ancient than any she had laid eyes upon, the warrior wore an undersuit of hardened leather, protected across by the steel of his people. In his left hand was a standard Mandalorian heavy blaster, while in his right rested an old vibrosword that looked like it had seen much use.

Jack raised his Lightsaber, deflecting the bolts of blaster fire away from any civilians in the area and parrying the alpha strike from the Vibrosword. Damn thing must've been covered in cortosis not to be cut in half. The Mandalorian assailant holstered his blaster pistol, focusing on hand-to-hand. Energy sparked, flashed and broke as cortsosis weave clashed with contained, sharpened plasma.

The two locked their blades in a test of strength, one pushing against the other. The Mandalorian warrior growled, pushing hard against the boy's own strength. He spoke, his voice rough, hard "Jedi _aruetii. _I'm surprised any of your kind still walk freely! How did you bring me here!?"

"Oh, for the love of..." Yang rolled her eyes "Hey, dude! This must be some kind of misunderstanding! Do you really wanna risk killing him in the middle of a school?!"

"Xiao-Long is right." The Nightsister stepped up beside Jack, plasma arrow aimed right at the Mandalorian's helmet, "Leave him, Ranix of clan Ordo. He is not the one we were sent after."

The Mandalorian looked over to the woman, then hummed "So he brought you here as well, Nightsister. _Copikla. _How should I believe that?"

"He was taken here like the rest of us, Ranix." She said, arrow still trained on the man's head "Let. Him. Be."

He hummed, then broke the lock by pushing Jack away. He then slid his blade into the sheath on his back and said "I should've figured you were a runt and not the master. But I do admit, it was hard to spot you at first." and he motioned to the kid's entire school uniform, "I barely noticed the lightsaber hilt on your hip... Odd design. Reminds me of what the Viszlas prided themselves in."

He hummed, reluctantly shutting off his Lightsaber and putting the hilt back onto his belt. Yang and the others sighed in relief, thankful they didn't have to call up their weapons for this. The blonde stepped up, then asked Jack "Does everyone who knows about your people wanna kill you nowadays, Jack?" to which the boy smirked and turned toward the Mandalorian.

High-heels hammered against stone as, from ahead of the students, miss Goodwitch emerged with her 'weapon' drawn and aimed right at Ranix. The man drew his blaster pistol in response, aiming it right at the teacher. Glynda almost ordered "Children, get away from that man and get behind me," as her powers flared, but both she and the Mandalorian stopped upon the two other-worlders stepping in between them.

"It would be safer for all of us if you just went along for a chat, Mandalorian." The Nightsister noted. He huffed, then holstered the handgun and looked to Glynda. She, too, lowered her wand, silently thanking the children that the situation was solved without any need for fighting. She glared at the gathered crowd around them, that the rest of the gang had barely just noticed, then looked to Seilann and Jack. With a tilt of the head, she told them to get to classes with the others, while she escorted the Mandalorian over to Ozpin.

Seilann and Jack turned to the Mandalorian for a moment, only offering him two reassuring nods, before they and the rest of the gang walked off to class. He, instead, walked up to miss Goodwitch, then said "I'm not certain your employer realizes the insanity of keeping a Jedi here... But I presume I am about to find out." and he nodded to her to lead the way.

Atop the tower, Glynda had led the Mandalorian to Ozpin. Now, the warrior and headmaster stared face-to-face. The Headmaster smiled at the warrior clad in Beskar, before offering his hand. Despite the helmet he wore, Ozpin saw the hesitation, but even so, the soldier gripped the headmaster's hand firmly and shook it, before noting "So you must be the leader of this 'school'?"

"That, I am. My name is Ozpin. Welcome to Beacon." He nodded.

"Mhm." Ranix returned "I am Ranix, of clan Ordo. The last of my clan."

"I wouldn't be wrong in assuming that whatever brought mister Jakar and miss Seilann to our world brought you along as well, would I?"

"No, I guess not."

"So," Ozpin motioned to the man to seat down, before doing so himself and saying "What is it your clan did, mister Ranix?"

"We fought." The Mandalorian responded "As is in our nature."

"To the last man, it would seem." Ozpin observed "Why?"

"Because the same thing that your Jedi is now running from wanted to take over Mandalore, my home. They _wanted to_." He smirked behind the helmet. One could even feel the pride in his voice as he said that. He added "You can guess what happened from detail, though... And I was damned to survive it and become one of their bounty hunters, with a simple promise of freedom for my people. So, if you don't mind me asking now, Headmaster, why have you got one of them with you?"

"Jakar was found by the girls of team RWBY during one of their training outings in the Emerald Forest, followed by Seilann upon the latter's case of mistaken identity that caused an attack upon the former." Ozpin explained "I offered them sanctuary in Beacon for their sakes, so that they may learn more about the world they are in before they venture out..."

"That's not what I'm asking." The Mandalorian retorted, "I'm asking why you seem to still be willing to risk your school by keeping him around after I just painted you a picture of what you can expect with a Jedi around. You're risking bringing the entire sky down on your head..." and, despite knowing from the looks Ozpin gave him that the old man understood, he also got that he would not budge. "... But I'm gonna guess that's just how you and the kids you're training are..."

"It's how we try to build them up, as huntsmen." Ozpin said "To protect their fellows from the darkness, no matter what form it may take."

"Honorable." The Mandalorian laughed, "I'm not too fond of the bastards hunting the kid either. Maybe I'll get some payback when the time comes."

"Then..." Ozpin hummed "How about you assist him in his upcoming quest... I feel like he is destined for something great, at least on our world." and he looked to Ranix for a response, "What do you say?"

The warrior removed his Beskar helmet slowly, revealing a black-haired, pale-skinned young man with a smile spread on his face and a few battlescars ranging from a deep cut in his right cheek to a bionic left eye and a cross-cut over said eye's lid and eyebrow. Ozpin extended his hand, smiling back... And Ranix shook it happily. Payback, for Clan Ordo and for those who died in defense of Mandalore's freedom.

"I hope the kid can take a bit of Mandalorian training outside of Beacon's own." The Mando quipped, before standing up and slinging his helmet under hisarm, "Because I'm not going to be slowed down by a padawan." And he finished the 'enrollment' process of Beacon by having his picture taken. Moments later, he could be seen walking out of Beacon Tower and marching toward the dormitories, under escort by Glynda. He could've found the dorms on his own, to be honest, but alas, whatever one was required to do to stick around, he probably would do.

... Deep within the mountains of Vale, meanwhile, something ancient stirred...


End file.
